This invention relates generally to pallets for supporting materials, and more particularly to a system of corner protectors for use with a pallet protector assembly for a pallet or plural pallets.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,294 (Depew) there is disclosed a pallet construction making use of protective members fabricated out of metal, plastic or other impact resistant material for engaging two opposed end portions of the pallet to protect against damage. The protective members are in the form of upper and lower elongated bars and associated cap portions. The protective members are arranged to be secured in place to the pallet, via nails or screws, with the bars extending flush with the top and bottom surfaces of the upper and lower deck-boards, and with the cap portions embracing the end portions of the stringers or other deck-board supporting components. The cap portions are secured to the embraced portions beneath the deck-boards. Flanges may be provided on the cap portions at the end of the protective members for direct securement to the upper surface of the deck-boards and to the under surface of the underlying portion of the pallet. With pallets of block type construction, side protective members may be included to be nailed, screwed or otherwise secured to sides of the pallet, whereupon the periphery of the pallet is protected.
Other pallet protectors have been disclosed in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,899 (Steffen) discloses a protective element for a pallet in the form of a plate, preferably formed of sheet metal for a fixation to deleting stringer of the pallet. The plate-like element is preferably nailed to the pallet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,175 (Whatley, II) also discloses a protective plate for use with a pallet. The plates may include perforations or holes to receive fasteners such as nails for fixing the plate to the pallet. The plates are disclosed as being fabricated from sheet metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,629 (Ginnow) discloses an end cap construction for protecting the ends of the stringers of a pallet. Each of the end cap construction units is a generally U-shaped member having plural apertures therein.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,807, there is disclosed a pallet protector assembly arranged for use with a conventional pallet, e.g., a wooden pallet having a plurality of stringers disposed generally parallel to one another between upper and lower decks formed of plural spaced-apart deck-boards. The pallet has a pair of sides and a pair of ends. The pallet protector assembly comprising plural, e.g., four, elongated bar-like, hollow plastic, guard members, each which has an opposed pair of end portions. Each end portion of each guard member includes a respective connector. Both of the connectors of two of the guard member are bulbous key-like projections. Both of the connectors of the other two of the guard members are mating key-slot shaped recess. The bulbous key-like projections of the two guard members are arranged to be releasably received within respective recesses of the other two guard member to releasably secure the guard members to one another to form a self-supporting frame encircling the periphery of the pallet. The connectors forming the guard members are resistant to accidental disconnection from each other so that the protector assembly when in place is resistant to accidental disconnection. However, any guard member can be readily purposely removed from the others to provide access to any portion of the pallet, e.g., access to an end portion to enable the pallet to be lifted by the tines of a conventional fork-lift machine.
In my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/519,300, filed on Mar. 6, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,086 entitled Protector for an Array of Pallets there is disclosed and claimed a pallet protector assembly for use with an array of pallets, e.g., at least two conventional pallets arranged in an array closely adjacent each other. Each of the pallets has a plurality of stringers disposed generally parallel to one another underneath an upper deck. The deck is formed of plural spaced-apart deck-boards. Each of the pallets also has a pair of sides and a pair of ends. The pallet protector assembly comprising at least six elongated bar-like guard members, each of which has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion includes a first connector. The second end portion includes a second connector. The first connector of any one of the guard members is arranged to be releasably secured to the second connector of any other of the guard members. All of the guard members are arranged to be secured to each other to form a self-supporting frame for encircling the periphery of the array of pallets, with the guard members being resistant to accidental disconnection from each other.
In my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/808,916, filed on Mar. 15, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,770 entitled Adjustable Pallet Protector Assembly For A Single Pallet Or An Array Of Pallets, whose disclosure is incorporated by reference herein, there is disclosed a pallet protector assembly for use with one or an array of plural conventional pallets. The pallet protector assembly comprising plural, e.g., at least four, elongated bar-like, hollow plastic, guard members. Each guard member is composed of a first section and a second, with each section having an exposed end portion. The first and second sections of each guard member are telescopically slidably coupled together, whereupon the length of the guard member can be adjusted. The first end portion of the first section includes a first connector, e.g., a male member. The second end portion of the second section includes a second connector, e.g., a mating female connector. The connectors of each of the guard members are arranged to be releasably securable to the connectors of the other guard members form a self-supporting frame for encircling the periphery of the pallet(s), with the guard members being resistant to accidental disconnection from each other.
While the pallet protector assemblies of my aforementioned patent and co-pending patent application overcome many of the drawbacks of the prior art pallet protecting devices, they still leave something to be desired from the standpoint of protecting persons from injury and/or protecting items located on the pallet.
This invention relates to a corner protector system for use with at least one pallet, e.g., a single pallet or an array of plural pallets, about which a pallet protector assembly is disposed. The pallet(s) with which the subject invention may be used can be conventional, e.g, a rectangular or square shaped assembly having a pair of sides and a pair of ends, with plurality of stringers disposed generally parallel to one another underneath an upper deck, with the deck being formed of plural spaced-apart deck-boards. The pallet protector basically comprises at least four elongated guard members which are releasably coupled together at respective corners to form a self-supporting frame for encircling the periphery of the pallet(s).
The corner protector comprises a hollow member having a pair of walls disposed at an angle to each other to form a corner. Each of the walls includes a bottom portion having a longitudinally extending channel. The recesses merger to form a right angled channel arranged to releasably receive an associated corner of the pallet protector therein, whereupon the walls of the corner protector extend upward from the pallet protector to protect any item located on the pallet adjacent the corner of the pallet.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention each of the corner protectors is formed of a light-weight, impact resistant material, such as polyethylene, polyolefin cellulose composite, or other plastics, and is arranged to be mounted on the pallet protector corner by that corner snap-fitting into the right angled channel.